What are the taboos on fertilizing times for household potted flowers?
Many people like to grow flowers at home, as it beautifies the room, purifies the air, regulates temperature and reduces heat, and also cultivates character and pleases body and mind. However, to make potted flowers flourish with luxuriant branches and leaves and large, brightly colored blooms, besides watering, fertilizing is also an important part of the flower-growing process. When flowers are in the growing period, fertilizing can promote vigorous growth, so more fertilizer should be applied; when flowers are in the dormant period, potted flowers grow slowly, so less fertilizer should be applied. Therefore, fertilizing potted flowers is very important and also requires great care. Besides controlling the amount of fertilizer, there are also taboos on the timing of fertilizing. Below I will tell everyone about the 3 time periods when potted flowers should not be fertilized.
1. Do not fertilize during the flowering period
For household potted flowers such as camellia, rose, Chinese rose, carnation and orchid, fertilizing should be stopped before the buds open and show color, and phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should not be applied continuously either. Because fertilizing during the flowering period, especially with nitrogen fertilizer, will stimulate vegetative growth, increase the respiratory metabolism of new leaves, reduce the nutrients available to the flower organs, inhibit growth and development, delay the flowering period, and also cause scorched flowers, promote early fading of the flowers, and shorten the flowering period.
2. Do not fertilize on rainy or cloudy days or at night
On rainy or cloudy days and at night in early spring or late autumn, the temperature is low, leaf transpiration and root absorption capacity decrease, fertilizer utilization efficiency is low, and the fertilizer accumulates in the soil. Combined with the effects of waterlogging and poor aeration, this easily damages the roots. Therefore, on rainy, low-temperature days and days of heavy downpours, fertilizing should be delayed until a sunny day.
3. Do not fertilize under high temperature and blazing sun
At noon in summer and autumn under high temperature and blazing sun, the air is dry and transpiration is strong. After fertilizing, it easily causes physiological metabolic disorders in the plant, resulting in yellowing and wilting of branches and leaves and decline of flowers. Therefore, flowers should be fertilized in the morning or after the high temperature in the afternoon, together with watering. Fertilizing at noon under high temperature and blazing sun is not suitable.
Different types of flowers have different fertilizer requirements. For example, osmanthus and camellia like pig manure and avoid human feces and urine; southern flowers such as rhododendron, camellia and gardenia avoid alkaline fertilizers and like slightly acidic fertilizers; foliage-oriented flowers (such as money tree and pothos) can focus more on nitrogen fertilizer; flower-oriented flowers (such as chrysanthemum and dahlia) need an appropriate amount of complete fertilizer during the flowering period to make the flower shape beautiful and the color bright; fruit-oriented flowers (such as kumquat and ornamental pepper) should appropriately control fertilizer and water during the flowering period, and apply sufficient complete fertilizer during the fruit-swelling period to achieve the expected effect; bulbous flowers (such as narcissus and tulip) should be given more potassium fertilizer to help the bulbs become plump. But have you fertilized correctly? Incorrect fertilizing can also lead to poor growth of household flowers, and in serious cases cause death.
1. Do not fertilize newly planted plants. Newly planted plants have many wounds. If stimulated by the outside, they cannot heal and will cause root rot.
2. Do not fertilize during the flowering period. Fertilizing during the flowering period will cause bud drop, flower drop and fruit drop.
3. Do not fertilize during the dormant period. Flowers stop or slow down growth during the dormant period, their metabolism is slow, and photosynthesis is poor. If fertilizer is applied, it will quickly break the dormancy and cause the plant to continue growing, which will consume more nutrients and affect flowering the next year.
4. Do not apply concentrated fertilizer. When fertilizing potted flowers, the concentration should not be too high or the amount too much, otherwise it will cause death. Generally, the principle of frequent application of thin fertilizer should be followed, with three parts fertilizer and seven parts water as suitable.
5. Do not apply raw fertilizer. If unrotted fertilizer is applied, it is not only easy to breed insects and maggots, but also often gives off a foul odor that pollutes the environment, and when it encounters water it will ferment and damage the plant's root system.
6. Do not apply a single fertilizer. To grow household flowers and other plants well, besides traditional nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer, you can appropriately spray medium and trace element foliar fertilizer; newly planted flowers can be mixed with bio-organic fertilizer in the pot to retain water and fertilizer and prevent soil compaction.
7. Do not fertilize diseased or weak plants. The branches of diseased and weak plants are thin and weak, photosynthesis is poor, metabolism is slow, and they cannot benefit from tonics. If fertilized, it easily causes fertilizer damage.